Are massive hurricanes the new norm for Floridians? | Letters

Our stressful evacuation adventure began on Wednesday evening. I knew we better get on the road to drive north before the traffic got too bad, so we packed up and hopped on I-95.

The drive through Florida was very tense. When we finally pulled into our hotel in Savannah, Ga., at 3:45 a.m., we all breathed a huge sigh of relief. We continued on to New Jersey to see family. We are the lucky ones who had the ability to get out when we did.

Irma broke many records and caused a huge raucous: evacuations, panic, damage, closures, and tremendous financial costs. But is this just the beginning of a new norm for Floridians? Climate change is clearly stirring up stronger, more frequent storms because of warmer temperatures. Denying climate change only puts people in harm's way. We must call on our elected officials to take some real action to pass legislation for a carbon tax and dividend program as advocated by the Citizens' Climate Lobby. This is the best way to transform our economy to keep fossil fuels in the ground and focus on green energy, ultimately reducing carbon emissions before evacuations and massive storms become all too common.